Steering Problems of Chrysler Pacifica - part 1

When turning the wheel slightly (ie. 10 or 1 position), the wheel will lock up and stick requiring additional effort/overcompensation to get turn the wheel back. The issue has become increasingly worse over the past few months, but there was no distinct onset or issue that prompted the first problem.

See all problems of the 2018 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

When driving on the road and slight turning of the steering wheel from 11-1 o' clock position, the steering locks or gets stuck and I have to apply extra force to turn the steering wheel to get it to turn ok.

See all problems of the 2019 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

While driving the vehicle in a gradual turn, steering will stick and not return to center without applying extra force to the steering wheel.

While driving, the vehicle experiences a sudden and intermittent "catching" or sticking sensation in the steering wheel. This issue happens exclusively when initiating a slight turn to the left, specifically around the 11 o'clock steering wheel position. There is no noise (no clunking, clicking, or grinding) associated with the failure. When the steering wheel "catches," it requires additional physical force to pull the wheel past the sticking point. Once it breaks free, the electric power steering suddenly engages with a sharp jolt, which causes the vehicle to momentarily jerk or oversteer.

Steering is loose and fails at times resulting in very hard turning. When making a left turn into oncoming traffic, lost steering entirely for a few seconds. Symptoms point to failing steering rack which is very dangerous.

See all problems of the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

An electric power steering system (eps) code came up on the dash and then it locked up the steering going down the road with my wife and children in the car on 10-13-2026. Bought the car from a dealer on 10-12-2026. Replaced main and auxiliary batteries on behalf of dealerships expense on 10-14-2026. 10-16-2026 the code came back up and locked the steering up again going down the highway with my wife and children in the car. The dealer is taking action as we speak, we will see what they do.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? intermittent loss of eps assist during gradual turns, especially when the steering wheel is near the 11 o’clock or 1 o’clock position. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? not being able to control the steering wheel puts my safety and others at risk. No, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. No, the vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No, there weren't any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and it occurs when the steering wheel is at 11 or 1 o'clock at speed.

Steering wheel binding/sticking under continuous lateral load at 30+ mph on banked right-hand ramps, requiring breakaway force to unstick. It jerks the vehicle and my passengers look at me like I'm crazy. Only does it on right hand turns, left seems fine. No noises. Very scary as I'm afraid that it isn't going to unstick one of these times, or the sudden jerk when it releases is going to cause an accident. It started doing this several weeks ago and happens pretty much every time now. If I make small steering adjustments while going around the right hand bank, it doesn't seem to happen. Only when I hold the wheel at a constant position while traveling around the curve.

Experiencing steering lockup around the 2 o clock position when cornering to the right. Doesn’t lock up to the left, only to the right. Steering will lock up and won’t release unless a slight tug on the steering wheel. We experience this every time you remotely hold in the 2 o clock position for the slightest bit of time. I have kids in this car and when we’re going 65+ down interstates, this is a serious safety issue and concerns me greatly for the safety of my family. Van only has 95k miles on it. Spent a considerable about of money on this can van and we can’t even drive it and have to pay a shop a few more thousand to fix this. It wouldn’t be a big deal if I was one of a few people but reports say 287k people are experiencing this. Unacceptable.

There was no accident, my power steering on the messenger screen says service power steering and it just started it comes on and off periodically while I am driving I don't know about anybody else but I see this as a very serious safety issue I would like to report it.

This occurred on [xxx]. I was driving with two passengers heading west bound on [xxx] in ohio and starting to go off an exit ramp. The passenger side power window went down without anyone pressing a button. I pulled up on the driver-controlled passenger window switch to correct the window, and it went up. But, either immediately upon going up or shortly after (I don't remember), the van experienced a series of electrical faults. The cel came on, I start hearing warning chimes, the infotainment screen rebooted. I heard a clicking noise from under the hood, which I later learned was the parking pawl trying to engage. Dash screen said something about "speed too high to shift to park. " momentarily the wheel jerked hard - I think I lost power steering (if the car fully shut off I think that's what happened). I gained control and directed the car to the side of the road. I don't know what state the car was in at this point - either fully off or electrically on but no engine power. In any case, I shifted to park, pressed the on/off button and the car fully shut down. After a couple of minutes I attempted to start the car again, and it started right up with no issues. The cel was lit, but the car drove fine. When I got to my destination about 20 miles away, I checked the battery terminals. I found that the negative terminal could be turned about a quarter turn if I used some force, but it was not what I would consider 'loose'. I still tightened the connection as much as I could, to the point that the connection was now immovable. The cel cleared after a few cycles of turning the car on and off. A scan later showed that code p1b14 was stored. I called multiple Chrysler dealerships and each told me that they could not diagnose the problem unless it was actively acting up. The car has not malfunctioned since the incident four days ago. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Over the past year or two, especially as the temperatures begin to get cooler outside, I've noticed a sensation when doing a gradual turn anywhere between 20-60 mph, and the steering wheel is at the 11 or 1 o clock position, the vehicle "sticks". I then have to put force on the steering wheel to get it back to center and straighten out the driving path. It happens more when returning to center from left hand turns vs right hand turns. This puts me and other drivers on the road in danger because it's extremely easy to oversteer and swerve off the road or into another driver, injuring or killing passengers. The auto centering nature found previously in the van is not consistent. I mentioned this issue to my dealer when it first started, they were unable to duplicate. As the issue persists, I did my own research and see there are numerous articles online clearly stating this is a very dangerous issue-specifically with my 2018 model year (as well as with 2017 models). I see no warning lights that accompany this behavior. And that makes it all the more dangerous. Without any awareness of the issue, it's a lot more probable to experience the behavior and cause an accident.

Steering wheel sticks when slightly turning either direction and when you apply force to unstick over corrects making it very dangerous and a safety issue especially on highways. Researching shows this is pretty common in this year and model.

After turning hard to the right in a tight corner there is a catch in the steering system when returning to center occasionally.

See all problems of the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

When going around curves or turning the steering wheel is returning back to center it acts like something in the steering system hangs up like it sticks. This may result in oversteering causing a wreck. Its when the steering wheel is in the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock position. It can catch you off guard and be very dangerous.

Recently, in the last 2 weeks since the writing of this post, I've noticed a sensation when doing a gradual turn anywhere between 20-60 mph, and the steering wheel is at the 11 or 1 o clock position, the vehicle "sticks". I then have to put force on the steering wheel to get it back to center and straighten out the driving path. This puts me and other drivers on the road in danger because it's extremely easy to oversteer and swerve off the road or into another driver, injuring or killing passengers. Although I have not taken this to a dealer yet, there are numerous articles online clearly stating this is a very dangerous issue-specifically with my 2017 model year. I see no warning lights that accompany this behavior. And that makes it all the more dangerous. Without any awareness of the issue, it's a lot more probable to experience the behavior and cause an accident.

While steering my steering wheel sticks and I have to turn it hard to get it to straighten back out. I am afraid that I am going to over compensate and go into other lane of traffic.

The stick steering sticks around long curves and turns and it takes force to correct the wheel which feels very unsafe while driving.

I have a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica with approximately 125,000 miles. At around 110,000 I started to notice that the steering would randomly stick when driving at speeds between 25-45 mph. Now, the steering wheel is beginning to stick almost everytime I drive the van, but seems to get worse after about 20-30 minutes of driving. This now seems like a severe safety hazard at both neighborhood and highway speeds. As I turn the wheel when driving down the road, the steering wheel becomes physically stuck when passing through the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions. In order to return the wheel to 12 o'clcok, I have to extert extra force, can feel the power steering kick back in, and the van will sharply react as the steering wheel straightens risking an over-correction accident. This is now a recurring issue and makes it very difficult and dangerous to drive my vehicle. These symptoms seem to exactly match what my research has uncovered online regarding a failing steering rack and column. I believe a NHTSA invesigation has already been opened into this safety issue (seems to match the description for NHTSA pe25009).

Steering sticks during a gradual turn. It will catch up but then causes over correction. This has happened multiple times and based on my research, this is a model-wide problem. See campaign pe25009 for more details.

The steering will intermittently stick while driving at highway speed approximately 50 miles per hour while turning slightly left or right. I am concerned the sticking of the steering could cause over steer resulting in left of center potentially causing a crash. The problem has not been diagnosed by a mechanic yet but will be checked out soon. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to steering sticking. Symptoms started approximately late July 2026.

Noticeable "sticking" or binding feel during gradual turns-often near the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock steering wheel positions-which can cause unexpected oversteer at highway speeds. Very scary feeling since you almost loss control of your vehicle at highway speed. I read many forums which they report the same issue.

I am writing to offer corroborating evidence for NHTSA pe25009. The electric power steering system malfunctioned, and on this vehicle, that is a single unit with the rack and pinion, electric assist motor, and controller. At any point in time, the driver can turn the steering wheel and the vehicle will fight them. If attempting to turn left, it’ll maybe get as far as 11:00 and refuse to turn more. For a right turn, it’s the same but 1:00. This could easily cause a crash. The issue has been confirmed by parkway Chrysler in pampa, TX. As far as I know, no representative of the manufacturer has inspected the component other than the dealer service center. All warning messages (service power steering in the gauge cluster) are concurrent with the temporary failure described above; no prior warning is offered.

I was about to pull out into a main road with my 3 kids in the car, and my steering wheel locked up and became impossible to drive, had to quickly reverse and could not make it home. I then received an error message on my dash saying power steering unavailable, service requested. The car only has 118,000 miles on it.

See all problems of the 2020 Chrysler Pacifica 🔎.

The contact owns a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact stated that while driving and turning the steering wheel in either direction, the steering wheel was sticking while attempting to return the steering wheel to center. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The contact was notified of NHTSA action number: pe25009 (steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the investigation. The failure mileage was 72,000.

While driving my vehicle at approximately 75 mph on the interstate the steering wheel froze/stuck while executing a long sweeping curve. The steering wheel would not turn and my wife whom was drivng was applying excessive pressure to the steering wheel to keep the vehile from running off the shoulder of the road almost lost control of the van when the steeringwheel broke loose and over corrected and the van made a sudden, sharp turn. This occured during an essentual 2 hor drive to a medical appointment. This vehicle matches the exact failure criteria currenly under active investigation by the NHTSA under pe25009 for steering binding. The manufacturer (Chrysler) refuses to honor or repair this known defect under warranty creating a sever and immediate hazaard for families operating these vans at highway speeds.

This is in regards to the potentially death-inducing NHTSA campaign # pe25009. Within the past two weeks, I have experienced an intermittent and concerning steering problem with my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. When traveling approximately 20–60 mph and making a gradual turn, particularly when the steering wheel is positioned around the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock position, the steering appears to "stick" or bind rather than naturally returning toward center. I must apply additional force to the steering wheel to overcome the resistance and bring the vehicle back toward a straight driving path. This behavior is extremely concerning because the steering does not respond normally and unexpectedly requires additional steering force to correct the vehicle's path. When this occurs during normal highway or city driving, there is a significant risk of unintentionally applying too much steering input while attempting to overcome the binding. This could cause the vehicle to suddenly move outside its intended path, potentially resulting in a lane departure, collision with another vehicle, or loss of vehicle control. There are no warning lights or dashboard alerts associated with this behavior. This makes the issue particularly concerning because a driver may have no indication that a potentially serious steering problem is occurring until the steering resistance is encountered while the vehicle is in motion. I have not yet had the vehicle inspected by a Chrysler dealer, so I cannot identify the specific component causing the problem. However, I have since found numerous reports and discussions describing similar steering behavior involving 2017 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles. Given the potential consequences of unexpected steering resistance or binding, I believe this issue warrants investigation.

Mainly driving on highways at the end of long curves the steering is sticky and it is difficult to change the steering wheel back to 12 o'clock. Unpleasant and probably unsafe driving, as overreacting could occur, if it will stick more. It is happening more and more often.

Steering sticks on occasion when turning at highway speeds both left and right around the 1 and 10 o'clock position.

Reference: NHTSA campaign number: pe25009 in the last month, I've noticed steering problem with my Mini van. I have to use both hands to steer in a curve and it jerks when coming out of the curve. It feels as if I am loosing control of the van. It also happens when I am changing lanes and steer the wheel past 11 and 1 oclock. It feels as if the car is fighting me to steer.

When in gentle right turns, the steering "sticks" at about 1:00 and I have to apply force to remove the steering wheel from that position. It results in oversteering, particularly at higher speeds.

Steering is sticking at 11:00 and 1:00 positions.

Our 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has been experiencing a steering malfunction that appears to be identical to the condition currently under investigation by NHTSA under action number pe25009. For the past few months, the steering wheel has intermittently exhibited a sticking or binding sensation while driving through gradual curves. When this occurs, the steering wheel becomes temporarily resistant to movement, requiring the driver to apply additional force to overcome the resistance and continue steering through the curve. When the steering wheel releases from the sticking position, the sudden change in resistance can make it difficult to maintain smooth, controlled steering. The problem has become noticeably worse and more frequent over the past few weeks. We had the vehicle inspected by an independent mechanic, who advised that the power steering motor needs to be replaced and recommended that we take the vehicle to an authorized Chrysler dealership. The Chrysler dealership (lewis Chrysler Dodge in fayetteville, ar) inspected the vehicle and informed us the steering rack and pinion assembly and both tie rod ends need to be replaced and quoted us a cost of $4,450 for parts and labor. After researching the problem, we discovered NHTSA preliminary evaluation pe25009 involving 2017–2018 Chrysler Pacifica vehicles. The symptoms described in the investigation closely match what we have been experiencing, including intermittent steering resistance during gradual turns and the need to apply additional steering force to overcome the resistance. Because the condition has been getting worse, we are concerned about the possibility of a total loss of power steering while driving. We cannot afford the quoted repair cost, and because of our safety concerns, we have stopped driving the vehicle. We are submitting this complaint so that our experience can be documented and considered part of NHTSA's ongoing pe25009 investigation.

The steering wheel has begun "sticking" when driving >35 mph (estimate, not measured). It seems to stick somewhere in the 10:00/1:00 range, and can be resolved by giving a small but firm counter-tug. So far, there has been no accidents, and seems to be resolved easily but there is a small concern that perhaps it could get worse or happen at an inopportune time which could be dangerous.

The van has a consistent steering catch when traveling most pronounced at 11 and 1. The steering hangs and then releases which causes the van to travel unexpectedly into the other lane of traffic. There are no faults or other indicators visible with the vehicle to warn the driver of an issue. The issue is more noticeable when the outside air temperature is above 85 deg f and the van has been drive 15 or so miles. Additionally, a visual inspection of all mechanical components of the van related to steering does not show any abnormal wear and tear. The van has 126k miles on it.